Time of our Lives
by marehami
Summary: The greatest adventure of Stan and Ford's lives has been raising Dipper and Mabel as adoptive parents after the loss of their biological parents. When senior year starts and Dipper and Mabel are preparing for the next chapter in their lives. Stan and Ford must deal with the most difficult part of parenthood, letting your kids go. Part of Kelly and I's adoption AU
1. Chapter 1 The Start of the End

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IT'S OUR LAST FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL EVER!" Mabel said as she shook Stan awake, while Dipper did the same for Ford.

"What….wait….first? Last? Which is it?" Stan asked groggily as he wiped his eyes.

"It's our _last first_ day Grunkle Stan!" Mabel said with a giggle.

"Ah Senior year, the endless cusp of possibilities," Ford said wistfully as he wandered out into the hallway.

"Yeah for some…anyways I'm going back to bed. Wake me when you graduate," Stan joked as he rolled over and tried to go back to bed.

Dipper chuckled, "let the old man sleep Mabel, I know where he keeps the recipe for Stan-cakes, and since we're going to college at the end of the year I might as well learn to cook."

This suggestion was enough to raise Stan from the comfort of his bed. "Who says you can use _my_ recipe? They're called Stan-cakes for a reason, not poindexter-cakes! If anyone in this family is cooking them I am!"

Dipper gave Mabel a sly grin. He may not be similar to Stan, but at least he had picked up on how to trigger him.

The four of them had breakfast together; all the while Mabel and Dipper went on and on about senior year and all the excitement that came with it.

Like with most things they were excited about different aspects of the experience. Mabel could hardly wait to create her dream prom dress with Candy and Grenda, while the prospect of being class valedictorian filled Dipper with pride and joy.

One thing that both of them were excited about was college.

"It will be so nice to finally be able to study what I want to study, instead of being forced to learn all that boring stuff Dipper likes!" she said, giving her brother a playful shove.

"I can't wait to go to a school where I can actually feel challenged by the material," Dipper said with a false boastfulness.

Before long it was time for Mabel and Dipper to get going.

"Can we borrow the Stan-mobile?" Dipper begged. "I want all the other seniors to see the coolest car in Gravity Falls," he said, hoping to appeal to Stan's pride in his car.

"Alright, but let Mabel drive! You can't tarnish the Stan-mobile's reputation by following all of the road laws like a goody goody," Stan joked.

Mabel quickly snatched the keys while sticking her tongue out at Dipper. The two shared a laugh, and then they were out the door.

Stan and Ford remained at the kitchen counter, maintaining an awkward silence.

Ford decided to break it, "they grew up fast didn't they?"

"Too fast if you ask me,"

Ford put a caring hand on Stan's shoulder, "they grew up into great people, probably cause they had such great fathers."

"You know, when the kids first came here that first summer I was excited to have the company, but not thrilled with being a glorified babysitter. I thought that as summer went on I would become eager to get them out of here. The exact opposite happened, but when I got that phone call…" Stan's voice trailed off as he remembered that awful phone call. It was one of those moments that was just as vivid now as when it happened.

He took a deep breath, "I never had any doubts about taking them in. They needed to be with family. I knew that I wasn't an ideal caretaker, and I didn't know if I had what it took to help them through that. I just knew that if I released them to the state that they would be separated. I didn't know if they needed me, but I knew they needed each other."

Ford patted his brother's hand, "they needed you too…they really did,"

Stan smiled at his brother. "They needed you too you know?"

Ford sighed, "I'm not sure about that, but I do know I needed them, and you. I needed a family again, I just never imagined I would end up with such a wonderful one," His eyes wondered over to one of the first pictures they had taken as an official family. It was a fishing trip the four of them had taken in Stan's dingy old boat. It certainly wasn't the adventure Ford had in mind, it was a better one than he could have imagined.

Stan followed Ford's line of sight to the picture. He still looked very depressed about everything.

"Hey we aren't losing the kids completely! Those adoption papers mean that whether they want it or not they are stuck with us forever!"

Stan managed a smile at this. "I'll still miss having them around,"

Ford nodded, "I will too, but hey if we've done our job right Dipper and Mabel will be able to take on their next adventure, and as fathers, we get the honor of watching them fly."

"I wonder if ma and pops resent the fact that I fell more than I flew," Stan whispered.

"I can promise you mom didn't, you were her favorite you know?"

This made Stan grin to remember his mother.

Ford cleared his throat, "and as for father, he made choices to not be there for either of us unless it was beneficial to him. I've made peace with the fact that those decisions are on him _not us."_

Ford smiled proudly at Stan, "you know we've come a long way and done lots of wonderful things as fathers, but I think the best thing is that we broke that cycle of abuse. No matter what path Dipper and Mabel take in their next chapter, they know we are always there for them."

At this the two men gave each other a high-six.


	2. Chapter 2 Always There

"Nerd clothes?"

"Check"

"Nerd books?"

"Check"

"Nerd license and registration?"

"Check"

"Actual Nerd?"

"Check!"

"Alright nerd, you're all ready for your big visit to East Coast Tech!" Mabel said giving her brother a playful shove.

"You know Mabel if I end up going to this school, everyone there will be a nerd. That means that technically speaking I will no longer be a nerd!" Dipper stated smugly.

"Oh don't be silly Dipper, no matter where you go you'll always be _my nerd."_

"Well thank you Mabel. That's a very touching insult," Dipper said as he loaded the last suitcase into Ford's car.

"You sure you and Stanley don't want to come along Mabel? We could make a family vacation of it," Ford offered. He was thrilled to be re-visiting the school that was almost his alma mater. Somehow visiting with his own child made the experience more special for him then if he himself had been the one attending.

"Aw you know Mabel and I are too cool to need that nerd school! You and poindexter junior have fun though!" Stan spoke on behalf of Mabel. He offered her a playful wink. They both knew each other well enough to know that visiting the school would only bring up sad thoughts and dark memories. The best way they could support the brainy members of the family was to give them the distance to explore the academic world, while they spent time together focusing on the aspects of life they excelled at.

They bid Ford and Dipper farewell as they headed inside for a fun afternoon of scamming and scheming against the poor, unsuspecting customers. If people used to be conned at the Mystery Shack with just Stan, they hadn't seen anything until he brought a sidekick into the mix.

Later that night after the shack had closed, Stan offered to be a model for one of the pieces of art Mabel was working on for her application to the Portland Academy of Art. Stan was so proud that even though Mabel sometimes struggled with school like he did, that she was more determined to focus on the skills and talents that she did have. Stan sometimes wondered how much differently his life would have worked out if he had only spent his energy on his talents, as opposed to resenting Ford for his. He quickly shook the self-loathing thought out of his mind. It had taken a while, but he had earned a life better than anything he could have imagined.

Later that night Mabel was sleeping in her bed when a familiar, yet unexpected dream, snuck it's way into her subconscious.

 _She was no longer a seventeen year old, nearly full-grown woman. She was in her shooting star sweater and skirt combo. She was a young girl again, but she wasn't home in the safety of her beloved shack. She was tied to a bedpost in a tiny college dorm room in Portland. The lights in the room were turned off and she could only see shadows of light shining from the city lights before._

 _Suddenly a mysterious silhouette entered the room. It took a moment for him to come close enough for Mabel to recognize his face…Brad._

" _Well sexy it's just you and me…this time daddy isn't here to save you," he said wickedly as he pulled a knife from behind his back and went over to fulfill his sick desires._

Mabel woke up covered in sweat and breathing heavily. She was having another panic attack. She wanted to call out for Stan to help her through it like he always did, but something stopped her voice from crying out.

She was getting ready to go to college. She couldn't keep acting like a baby. She had been through enough therapy to understand that it was all right to be afraid and to need help. She had even finally accepted that it wasn't her fault. She still didn't want to call out for help. She was painfully aware that a few months from now she would no longer be living in the shack that had become her home. She would be moving away from this town, and the men who were adoptive fathers to her. She didn't want to cause them any more worry. She had overheard them talking excitedly about how they would finally get to go on some boat trips while she and Dipper were in school. She knew that if they didn't think she could get by without them that they would once again give up their dreams. It wasn't just because she wanted to please them though; deep down _she wanted that freedom_. She wanted to move somewhere new and be on her own. She wanted that independence that all people her age long for, but how could she expect to get it if she still called out for daddy when she was scared?

Little did she know that she didn't even have to call out for Stan for him to come. At that moment he walked into her room, and look surprised to see her sitting up in her bed in tears and fighting a panic attack.

He had come into the room with the simple intention of watching her sleep. It sounded creepy, but he and Ford had done it several times during their senior year. Just longing for a glimpse of their children, just allowing them to watch over them while they still could.

Stan got a worried look on his face, though not a judgmental one, like what Mabel expected to see on his face at the sight of the young adult crying and freaking out in bed.

"Hey honey, it's alright. Remember our breathing techniques? In and out, nice and slow. You're safe now baby. It was just a bad dream, but I'm here now," Stan assured as he sat on her bed and took her hands.

She struggled for several moments. Tears were streaming down her face, why couldn't she get calm? Normally, having Stan beside her was the quickest way to make the panic attack subside, but this time it only appeared to make her worse. She was forcing herself to calm down too fast, which only made her panic more, which only allowed her panic attack to continue.

Stan began rubbing her back, desperately trying to calm her down. He suddenly got an idea. He pulled her into a tight embrace, laying her head directly over his heart.

"shh shh shh it's ok pumpkin…I have you. I promise everything will be all right, just focus on my heartbeat. Remember how I told you the story about the night you and Dipper were born? About how I held you in my arms and rocked you to sleep? Well I was so nervous at first. At that point in my life every time I had something precious I had broken it, and I didn't want to break you. Well the nurse told me to hold you against my chest and your heartbeat would match mine, crazy right? Well I tried it and it calmed you enough that you stopped crying and fell right to sleep," Stan reminisced fondly.

The story was enough to allow Mabel to snuggle close to him and calm her down. She was still crying, but at least she was breathing steadily again.

"That's my girl…it's ok now pumpkin, I'm here. Nothing can hurt you as long as I'm around,"

"WHAT ABOUT WHEN YOU AREN'T AROUND!" Mabel cried, unable to hide her fears anymore.

"Baby what do you mean? I'm always gonna be here for you. You're my daughter, and I'm your daddy," Stan assured.

"I-I'm turning eighteen soon…and…and leaving for college! You and Grunkle Ford won't be around after that! Dipper and I will be grown-ups! And alone!" she sobbed.

Stan tightened his hold on her, "oh baby…Ford and I will always be there for you kids. That's why we _adopted you._ As long as Ford and I live we will be there for you. You and Dipper will always be our kids," he promised.

"What if I'm not ready to go to college? I finally want to grow up! What if Brad took that from me! I can't even help myself through a panic attack! What will happen when I leave home?"

Stan kissed the top of her head. It was one of those moments where it hit Stan how much she had been through. Brad had taken so much from her, but she never let him take her happiness, and if Stan had any say in it, that was one thing he would never let him take.

"What's gonna happen is we are gonna make sure Tad gets you a therapist in Portland, tons of college kids use them and it's nothing to ever be ashamed of. And if you have a panic attack you are gonna call me or Ford or Dipper and trust that we will help you through them. Not because we _have to_ but because we _want to Mabel._ "

He lifted her chin so she was looking into his eyes, "We want to help you because we love you and we are a family, and no amount of distance is ever gonna change that."

He kissed her forehead again, "you feeling better sweetie?"

Mabel wiped her stray tears on her sleeve and nodded. She really did feel reassured, but she still needed something. She just couldn't find the words.

Lucky for her she didn't have to use words. Stan naturally moved over to lay beside her and wrapped her in his arms. She gave him wordless, but grateful smile as she snuggle against his chest.

Stan smiled as he held his baby close and tight. It had taken awhile, but he was definitely living the best life ever.


End file.
